Container



Aug. 25, 1970 J. R. A'SSER 3,525,451

CONTAINER Filed A ri'i s, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 4

Fig.3

INVENTOR. o h mv/v Rural-F 9555K Au 25,1970 j J. R AssE CONTAINER 4 Sheets+$heet 5 Filed April 8, 1968 aw 9 mm INVENTOR. Jo h n v'v Ru (m -5955151? BY Aug. 25, 1970 J, R, ASSER' 3,525,451

I CONTAINER Filed April 8, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 v INVENTOR. 0 h mv/v Pup; 19556 United States Patent 3,525,451 CONTAINER Johann Rudolf Asser, Bellaggio, Italy, assignor to Algenthia A.G., Gesellschaft fur Entwicklungen von Hafenund Industrieanlagen, Glarus, Switzerland Filed Apr. 8, 1968, Ser. No. 719,378 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Apr. 10, 1967, 5,048/67 Int. Cl. B65d 7/26, 9/14 US. Cl. 220-6 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The conventional large capacity containers which are used for transportation of goods and freight have the drawback that their empty return transportation is expensive, since the applied freight tariff usually depends on the volume of the container and not on its weight.

A further inconvenience is the fact that for stacking such containers on storage places of industrial plants often great difficulties and problems are encountered, and storing of the containers must be effected at places which are far away from the place of use for loading them.

It is an object of the invention to provide a container of box shape which requires less space for storage and for transportation in empty condition.

According to the invention the container comprises two parallel side panels, two end panels, a cover panel and a bottom panel, said side panels being mounted for movement towards and away from each other, while remaining parallel, and said end panels and cover and bottom panels being hingedly connected with said side panels, whereby the container may be collapsed by tilting said end panels and cover and bottom panels into planes substantially parallel with said side panels and by approaching said two side panels towards each other.

An embodiment of a container according to the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container, the two end panels, the cover member and the bottom member having been omitted,

FIG. 2 is a vertical section along the line IIII of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section along the line IIIIII of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary front view of the container, the front panel being provided with door wings,

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section of a modified container,

FIG. 6 is a perspective View of panel locking members,

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the manner of collapsing of the side panels in a container according to FIGS. 1 to 4,

3,525,451 Patented Aug. 25, 1970 FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view in elevation of a container according to FIGS. 1 to 4 in collapsed position,

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the manner of collapsing the side panels of a container according to FIG. 5,

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken in a direction parallel to an end panel of a modified container.

The represented container comprises two rectangular frames 1 and 2 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 7) which extend parallel in spaced relation to each other. Close to the lower end of the front sides of both frames, a journal pin 3 is removably inserted into the frames. These journal pins each carry a roller 4. Both outer sides of the frames 1, 2 carry side panels 5. Struts 6 and 7 interconnect the upper and lower corners of the two frames 1 and 2. The strut 6 and 7 are of rectangular cross section. Each strut is formed by two sections 8, 9 and 10, 11, respectively. The two ends of both upper struts 6 are connected at their bottom sides by means of hinges 12 to the frames 1 and 2, respectively. The upper strut sections 8, 9 are interconnected by hinges 13 mounted on the upper faces of the struts. The lower struts 7 are connected by hinges 14 to the frames 1 and 2, the hinges 14 being mounted on the upper face of the struts 7, and hinges 15 mounted on the lower faces of the struts 7 interconnect the strut sections 10 and 11.

According to FIG. 2, the top of the container is closed by a cover member 16 which has one side pivotally connected to the upper bar 18 of the frame 1 by hinges 17. The opposite end of the cover member 16 is provided with locking means 20 engaging with bolt means 21 on the upper bar 19 of the frame 2. Further bolt means 21' are provided on the inside of the panel 5 of the frame 1. The distance between the hinges 17 and the bolt means 21 is equal to the distance between the hinges 17 and the bolt means 21'.

The bottom side of the container is closed by a bottom panel 22 having one side pivotally connected by hinges 23 to the lower bar 24 of the frame 2. The opposite side of the bottom panel is provided with locking means 20" engaging with bolt means 21" provided on the lower bar 25 of the frame 1. The inside of the panel 5 of the frame 2 is provided with further locking means 21", the distance between the hinges 23 and the bolt means 21" on the bar 25 being equal to the distance between the hinges 23 and the locking means 21".

According to FIG. 3, both ends of the container are closed by end panels 26, one end only of the container being represented, while the opposite end is of identical construction. The opposite ends of the panel 26 are each connected by hinges 27 fixed to the inside of the panel, to upright stays 28 of the frames 1 and 2. The panel 26 is divided into two equal sections 29 connected to each other by hinges 30 fixed to the outside face of the joining panel section ends. The pivoting axes of the hinges 30 extend at right angles to the plane of the cover panel 16.

According to FIG. 4 a door opening is provided in one of the end panels 26. A rectangular door wing 31 is pivotally mounted along one edge of the door opening by hinges 32. The end of the door wing 31 opposite the hinges 32 is provided with locking members 33 which lock the wing 31 in its position of closure with the panel 26. The door wing 31 is composed of two wing sections 34 and 35 pivotally connected together by means of a hinge member 36, the pivoting axis of this hinge member being in axial alignment with the axis of the hinges 30 of the end panel sections 29. Latches 37 pivotally mounted on pins 38 are fixed to the wing section 34 at one side of the hinge member 36 and engage with hooks 39 fixed to the wing section 35 at the other side of the hinge member 36.

Instead of a wing door also a sliding door could be provided in one of the panels of the container.

FIG. represents a container having modified end panels. The two ends of the container are closed by end panels 40. One end panel 40 is attached by means of a hinge 41 fixed to the inner face of the panel, to an upright stay 28 of the frame 1. The opposite end panel (not represented) is attached in similar manner to a stay 28 of the frame 1. The side of the panel 40 opposite that hinged to a stay 28 of the frame 1 is provided with an engaging member coacting with a locking member 21 on the stay 28 of the frame 2. Further locking members 21' are provided on the outside of the cover member 16 shown here in downwardly tilted position. The distance between the hinge 41 and the locking member 21 on the stay 28 is equal to the distance between the hinge 41 and the locking member 21' on the cover member 16. An analogous arrangement of engaging members 20 and locking members 21, 21' is provided for the opposite end panel (not represented) of the container, one of the locking members being secured to the bottom panel 22. One of the end walls 40 may be provided with a door construction similar to that shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 shows the construction of the engaging and locking member 20', 21" for the bottom panel 22, which construction is similar also for locking the end panels and the cover member in collapsed position. The engaging member 20' is provided along the side of the bottom panel 22 opposite the hinge connection of the panel. This engaging member 20 comprises a plurality of axially spaced and aligned sleeves 42. These sleeves 42 are axially aligned with sleeves 43 situated between the sleeves 42, and fixed to the lower bar of the frame 1. A bolt 44 which is slightly shorter than a sleeve 43 is engaged partly in each sleeve 42 and partly in each adjacent sleeve 43 of a pair of sleeves 42, 43. Each bolt 44 is provided with a cross lug 45 emerging through a slot 45 of each sleeve 43 and rigidly connected with a sliding rod 46 extending along the aligned sleeves 42, 43.

In order to prepare a container according to FIGS. 1 to 4 for an empty return transportation, first the locking members 21 of the cover member 16 are released (FIG. 2), by actuation of the sliding rod 46 (FIG. 6) to disengage the bolts 44 from the sleeves 42. The cover panel 16 can now be swung into the interior of the container and can be locked in the downwardly tilted position on the side panel 5 of the frame 1 by the locking members 21', as shown by dash-and-dot lines in FIG. 2. Afterwards, the locking member 21" of the bottom panel 22 on the bar 25 is released and the panel 22 is tilted upwardly and locked again to the side panel 5 of the frame 2, also shown in dash-and-dot lines in FIG. 2.

Now the latches 37 of the door arrangement (FIG. 4) are turned out of engagement with the hooks 39 so that the blocked hinge member 36 is released. The container is then slightly lifted to permit insertion of the rollers 4 with their journal pins 3 into the frames 1 and 2.

The rollers 4 now permit movement of the two side panels 5 towards each other. As shown in FIG. 7, the strut sections 8, 9 turn downwardly about their hinges 12 and 13, and the strut sections 10, 11 (FIG. 1) correspondingly turn upwards. At the same time the end panel sections 29 of both end panels 26 swing inwardly relatively to the container. The approaching movement of the side panels 5 is continued until the strut sections 8, 9 and 10, 11 are vertically directed and the position of the panels according to FIG. 8 is attained. Finally, threaded bolts 47 can be inserted through openings provided in the frames 1, 2 and the panels 5 and nuts 48 are screwed 4 on the threaded bolt ends to hold the collapsed container in its folded position.

In order to fold the container according to FIG. 5 for an empty transportation, the cover panel 16 and the bottom panel 22 are swung into the interior of the container and locked to the side panels as already described with reference to FIG. 2. Now the engaging members 20 on the side of the end panels 40 opposite the hinges 41 are released. Then the end panels can be swung into the interior of the container and are locked by means of the locking member 21' to the cover panel 16 and bottom panel 22 already swung into the container. When the rollers 4 are mounted to the frames 1 and 2, the tWo side panels 5 are pushed towards each other. As seen in FIG. 8 the strut sections 8, 9 are turned downwardly, and the strut sections 10, 11 (not shown in this figure) are turned upwardly until the strut sections are in a vertical position. The collapsed container parts will again be secured in the folded position as shown in FIG. 8 by screw bolts 47 and nuts 48.

In the example of FIG. 10, the two side panels of the container are formed as grates. Each side panel comprises again a rectangular frame the upper horizontal bar 46 of which is shown in FIG. 10 in cross section, and a number of vertical grate bars 50. A dove-tailed guide groove 47 extends over the length of the horizontal bar 49. A plurality of wedge-shaped screw nuts 48 are slidably engaged in the guide groove 47. Each vertical grate bar 50 is provided with an opening 51 for the passage of a. screw bolt 49 screwing into the threaded hole of the nut 47. The lower horizontal bar of the rectangular frame and the lower end of each grate bar 50 are formed in analogous manner. Thus a required number of horizontally spaced grate bars 50 can be removably fixed to the side frames of the container to form grateshaped side panels.

This embodiment of the container is particularly adapted for the transportation of piece goods, such as parcels, boxes and the like, which do not require the use of containers having solid closed side panels. With grateshaped side panels the weight of the empty container is reduced, and the container can be easily loaded with the goods to be transported, simply by moving the grate bars 50 away from each other towards both ends of the rectangular frame 46. After loading the grate bars are fixed again in the required position.

I claim:

1. A container of box shape comprising two parallel side panels, two end panels, a cover panel and a bottom panel, a strut interconnecting the upper and lower corners of each side panel to hold said panels in spaced parallel relation to one another, each strut member being divided into two strut sections of equal length hingedly connected to each other, the strut members being hinged- 1y connected at both ends thereof with said side panels to permit said side panels to move towards and away from each other while remaining parallel, each of said end panels comprising two sections hingedly connected to each other with each section being hingedly connected to one of said side panels for movement from a plane at right angles to the plane of said side panel into a plane substantially parallel with said side panels contemporaneous with the movement of said side panels toward one another, the hinge line of the sections of each end panel being perpendicular to the hinge line of the struts contiguous to each end panel, said cover panel being hingedly connected to one of said side panels and said bottom panel being hingedly connected to the other of said side panels for movement from planes at right angles to the plane of said side panels into plane substantially parallel with said side panels contemporaneous with the movement of said end panels and the movement of said side panels toward one another.

2. A. container according to claim 1 wherein the two sections of one of said end panels are provided with a door construction.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Garrett 217 14 Hofer 220-84 X Yerk 217-14 X Kuhl.

Tolnai 220'7 10 6. FOREIGN PATENTS 1,000,841 2/1952 France. 6,400,555 7/1965 Netherlands.

1,075,549 10/1954 France.

GEORGE E. LOWRANCE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 217-14; 220-84 

